Franken Picks First Senate Staffer

Democrat Al Franken may not yet be a senator, but that did not stop him from naming his first Senate staffer Monday—a Minnesota state director “to ensure that we hit the ground running on Day One” when he officially takes office, Franken said.

Franken, of course, is still embroiled in a disputed election with Republican Norm Coleman for a U.S. Senate seat from Minnesota. The Democrat last week moved a big step closer to victory, however, when a panel of three state judges declared that he leads Coleman by 312 votes and should be certified the winner.

Coleman, the incumbent senator, has made it clear he will appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court, and if he loses there, possibly to the federal courts as well. But many analysts say the state Supreme Court is likely to dispense with Coleman’s challenge relatively quickly, and that it could be politically difficult for Coleman to appeal to the federal courts.

If so, that could mean Franken, after an election dispute that has dragged on more than five months, would be seated within a few weeks. That would give Senate Democrats their 59th vote, bringing them within one of the 60 needed to stop Republican filibusters.

In naming a top Senate staffer, Franken is seeking to assume the mantle of the inevitable victor, in some ways echoing a strategy of President George W. Bush during the 2000 election recount. Bush began inviting potential cabinet secretaries like Colin Powell to his Texas ranch, and his team did everything possible to suggest that Mr. Bush was the incoming president, even while Democrat Al Gore was still challenging the outcome.

Franken said he was naming Alana Peterson, a longtime staffer to Rep. Jim Oberstar (D., Minn.), as his Minnesota state director so she will be ready “when I have the privilege of being certified.”

“I want Minnesotans to be able to rely on me for assistance with the federal government,” Franken said. “Whether it’s a Social Security check, a small business loan, or help for a returning veteran, my office will be there for the people of our state.”

Ron Carey, chairman of the Minnesota GOP, denounced Franken’s announcement as a publicity stunt while the election challenge was still underway. “While the due process and equal protection rights of our fellow citizens are being denied, Al Franken is determined to thumb his nose at the Minnesota Supreme Court,” Carey said. “This is another shameful episode of disenfranchising voters from Al Franken, and his disrespect for the constitutional rights of all citizens.”